Jay Bilas talks NBA Draft, college basketball, NIL & the evolution of the game | The Kevin O'Connor Show

On an action-packed episode of The Big Number, Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine take a deep look into the Charlotte Hornets' sensational second half of the season. Tom and Dan round out the show by taking a closer look at aging stars and their fight against Father Time. All that and more on this episode of The Big Number!   1:15 Big Number: +10.8 -Charlotte Hornets’ NetRating in 2nd half of season 18:30 ROTY race: Cooper Flagg vs. Kon Knueppel 30:03 Little number: 278 - amount of points Hornets’ starting 5 outscored opponents 34:17 Little numbers:127 - Hornets’ offensive rating in minutes without LaMelo Ball on the floor and Coby White on the floor 40:03 Little numbers: 3 - Hornets’ ranking among likely postseason teams in both average distance covered per game and average speed traveled per game 46:50 Steph Curry’s return 52:13 LeBron, Curry, Kawhi & Kevin Durant continue dominance 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

Kevin O’Connor sits down with basketball legend Jay Bilas to break down the evolution of basketball from college hoops to the NBA. Bilas shares insights on player development, coaching at every level and the impact of NIL and the transfer portal. They discuss solutions to tanking, load management and the backwards incentives in the NBA today. Bilas also weighs in on top NBA Draft prospects like Aday Mara, Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff & more.   (1:23) Memories with Bill Raftery (4:35) Love & evolution of basketball (14:17) Tanking & load management solutions (21:27) Why won’t NCAA & NBA work together? (28:58) NIL, transfer portal & potential player contracts (48:51) NBA Draft prospects to watch 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

We have a jam-packed episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way! First, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones look at the top-six in the Western Conference (Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Wolves) and share their biggest questions for each team as we inch closer to the playoffs. From there, the guys shift to the WNBA and react to the Chicago Sky's shocking trade of Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream. They explore the logic behind it, evaluate the trade package itself, and discuss Angel's fit with the Dream. Sticking with the W, the guys give their big takeaways from Friday's expansion draft and catch up on other news. If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at [email protected]. 3:33 Oklahoma City Thunder 14:19 San Antonio Spurs 22:12 Denver Nuggets 27:00 Los Angeles Lakers 33:20 Houston Rockets 41:43 Minnesota Timberwolves 47:38 Dream acquire Angel Reese 01:12:46 Expansion Draft reaction 01:21:11 Other WNBA news (Mystics, Aces, Liberty) 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

Kevin O’Connor sits down with Terrence Oglesby at the NCAA men’s Final Four. The duo breaks down the Jokic vs. Wembanyama duel, what makes each superstar special and dives deep into the Rookie of the Year race between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Plus, KOC asked Terrence which NBA draft prospects should ‘stay or go.’   Then, Jon Rothstein joins to break down Michigan’s domination of Arizona in the Final Four and what’s powering their NCAA tournament run. The pair analyzes UConn’s postseason, roster strengths and how the Huskies match up against the Wolverines in the upcoming National Championship.   (0:33) Terrence Oglesby joins (1:15) Jokic & Nuggets beat Wemby & Spurs (7:40) ROTY race between Flagg & Knueppel (17:27) NBA Draft prospect check-in (44:29) Lakers season jeopardized by injuries (47:23) Jon Rothstein joins (47:36) Michigan beats Arizona in Final Four (56:29) UConn vs. Michigan in National Championship (1:04:23) Guardrails needed for NIL in NCAA (1:13:42) Will NCAA tournament expand?   📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

We have a jam-packed episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way! First, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones are joined by Justin Rowan and Carter Rodriguez (The Chase Down Podcast) to discuss all things Cleveland Cavaliers! They talk through schematic shifts compared to last season, James Harden's addition, Donovan Mitchell's shift in responsibility, the (hidden) growth of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, lineup questions and much more. From there, the guys react to the latest injury news. More specifically: how equipped are the Lakers to deal with Luka Doncic's hamstring injury? Nekias also provides a list of notable names to watch in terms of award eligibility (Wemby, Jokic, Kawhi, Ausar and more). Finally, the guys discuss the Chicago Sky's pair of trades ahead of Friday's expansion draft. They talk through the logic of the moves, and debate if they were ultimately worth making.  If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at [email protected]. 1:50 Cavs discussion, starting with how the team has shifted schematically 31:26 Evaluating the Donovan Mitchell-James Harden partnership 44:52 Putting Evan Mobley's season in its proper context 56:04 Jarrett Allen's leap in aggression 1:09:52 Who's the ideal 5th starter/closer? 1:23:09 Lakers without Luka Doncic 1:30:00 Award Eligibility Watch 1:32:25 Chicago Sky expansion draft trades 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh go over all 30 NBA franchises and share “One Thing for Every Team." The pair discuss Jayson Tatum’s return to form, Victor Wembanyama’s ascent to basketball deity, how the Golden State Warriors should handle Steph Curry’s desire to play and much more. (1:02) One thing for every team in the Atlantic Division (15:02) One thing for every team in the Southeast Division (30:46) One thing for every team in the Central Division (46:44) One thing for every team in the Pacific Division (1:08:09) One thing for every team in the Southwest Division (1:26:18) One thing for every team in the Northwest Division 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

We have an action-packed episode of The Big Number coming your way! Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine discuss the Pistons’ keys to success without Cade Cunningham and what to expect heading into the Pistons-Wolves matchup. Next, Tom shares other teams that have experienced the same twisted reality of performing better without their superstar. What does this mean? Then, the duo makes their cases for who should land the fifth spot for First Team All-NBA. Should Kawhi Leonard’s elite offense land him a spot? Is Jaylen Brown’s resume enough? Will Kevin Durant make his seventh All-NBA First Team appearance? Later, they preview what to expect with the electric Lakers-Thunder matchup between the two juggernauts. Is this a potential MVP showdown between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic? All that and more on this episode of The Big Number! The Big Number: (01:54) Little Number 1 Kawhi: (25:45) Little Number 2 All NBA: (32:17) Little Number 3 KD: (38:42) Lakers - Thunder Preview: (44:16) 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

We have a jam-packed episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way! Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the epic turnaround of the Los Angeles Clippers! After a 6-21 start, they've gone a ridiculous 33-15 over their last 48 games. The guys discuss Kawhi Leonard's play, how Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin have slotted into their new home and how dangerous they could be in a playoff setting. From there, the guys react to the latest foundational news in the NBA. Anti-tanking measures are coming, and we may be on the cusp of two new teams joining the league soon. They talk through the latest proposals and debate whether the league needs to add two teams right now. Finally, it's time to talk about the upcoming WNBA expansion draft! We have the rules and the timing (April 3, 3:30 ET) -- now it's time to discuss who may actually be joining new rosters. The guys go team by team, talking through the five players each team may choose to protect. Strategy and shenanigans may be afoot! If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at [email protected]. 1:30 Los Angeles Clippers check-in 26:28 NBA anti-tanking proposals 44:17 Should the NBA expand? 49:03 WNBA expansion draft expectations 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

KOC reacts to the NBA’s new anti-tanking concepts and shares what his league sources have to say about each one. Then, he’s joined by Barstool’s Mark Titus to go over the electric Elite Eight over the weekend. The pair discuss Braylon Mullins' historic game-winning 3-pointer against Duke, review freshman returns for some of college’s most talented NBA prospects and ponder if some freshmen would benefit from another year in the NCAA. (0:19) NBA anti-tanking reform (14:24) UConn epic comeback vs. Duke (30:43) Cam Boozer freshman season recap (37:41) Importance of size in NCAA tourney (42:05) Keaton Wagler tournament check-in (47:03) Which freshmen should go back to school? (50:28) Yaxel Lendeborg tournament check-in (54:22) Final Four preview 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

We have a jam-packed episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way! After having a broader discussion about evaluating defense on the last episode, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss their top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Defense awards.  From there, the guys talk about the awesome play of Jalen Duren. He's been great all year, earning All-Star honors for the first time. He's been even more dominant as of late, thriving while taking on more offensive responsibility in Cade Cunningham's absence. They discuss his growth areas, award merits (Most Improved, All-NBA), and his ranking among centers right now. Finally, Breanna Stewart -- one of the greatest basketball players and winners of all-time -- joins the show! In a wide-ranging conversation, the trio talk about Stewart's basketball journey, her defensive prowess, Sarah Strong's dominance, her new life as a podcaster, and much more. If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at [email protected]. 1:47 DPOY +All-Defense discussion 9:37 Jalen Duren breakdown + center rankings 01:01:50 Breanna Stewart interview 📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!